Drabbles and Oneshots from the Where Do We Go From Here Storyline
by FourFaces
Summary: These are the bits that may not make it into the actual story "Where Do We Go From Here" but tie in in a way. Expect Connverse fluff, Pearlidotethyst, Garnet being Garnet, and the occasional bit of angst! Rated to be safe
1. Winter Forecast Part Deux

It had become a tradition, really. Ever since their first winter as friends, Steven and Connie would go spend the first snow of the year together.

It was much easier after Connie had told her mother everything about her training with Pearl and about all of the "magic stuff". She was still leery of Connie spending so much time with Steven, but, as long as there was a chaperone, she figured there was no harm in them spending time together.

Connie had just turned 18 and Steven was only a couple months away when the first snow arrived. It was earlier than usual and a much harsher blizzard than most of Delmarva was used to. Schools were closed and drivers were advised not to go out onto the roads.

It had taken a lot of convincing by both Priyanka and Connie to keep Doug from driving out to "rescue" his daughter. The gems assured that everything would be alright (save for Peridot who had never seen this much snow in all of her time on Earth and was convinced that the end was near).

Pearl watched from the window as Connie and Steven played in the snow, lobbing snowballs at each other (Connie having improved her aim drastically with Steven practicing summoning his shield on occasion). She smiled, holding a cup of tea that Lapis had made for her. She had begun to enjoy the camaraderie that she had with Lapis, and of course enjoyed the relationship that was blossoming with Peridot and Amethyst. Garnet had been right when she consulted her years before. She was always right.

"I'll be right about this too," Pearl heard voice chuckle from behind her.

Pearl jumped slightly before turning to see Garnet's amused face.

"Enjoying the snow?" Pearl asked.

"Mmm ... something like that."

Pearl stared out, watching as the two teens had turned their attention from the snowball fight to building a snowman. They were talking about something that Pearl couldn't hear, but the peal of laughter rang through the air.

"You saw something," Pearl started.

"Mmm," Garnet nodded.

A shriek interrupted the pair. They turned to see Steven hopping around, swatting at his back, Connie laughing behind him. Snow fell from the back of Steven's coat. He turned to Connie after he had removed most of the snow from his jacket and lunged, Connie trying to escape.

Her escape was unsuccessful as she was tackled into the snow. The teens laughed and laid back, side by side.

Steven looked over at Connie and watched as she threw her head back, laughing. Her brown cheeks had a red glow from the cold. She would probably end up with a cold after this. Now that she was older, her parents weren't as easily upset if she came home with a sniffle.

A thought came to him as he watched her laughter fade, a blissful expression on her face.

He could always try to heal her if she had a cold.

He hoped she didn't see him blush at the thought.

Connie watched the snow fall as the light began to fade from the sky. The heavy flakes landed on her eyelashes, occasionally blurring the world for her before melting away. She mused on her past, remembering the years before she could see clearly. The years before Steven.

She looked over at him and caught his soft smile.

Time froze. She wondered if she should move closer. Maybe grab his hand ... maybe -

"Hey kids! It's getting dark out and Pearl is getting twitchy!" The pair heard a voice call from the Beach House.

 _Amethyst. The mood killer._

The teens stood up and brushed themselves off before looking at each other again. Steven blushed some more before offering his hand to Connie.

"The stairs might be icy. I can help you up if you like."

The stairs looked clear, but Connie smiled and took his hand regardless. It was a good excuse.

Steven had let Connie use the shower first, enduring the constant teasing from Amethyst as he waited with warm clothes. He was fully aware of the meaning of her jokes now and, while he was certainly tempted, it was not going to happen. Not any time soon, at least.

Soon, Connie was out of the shower and it was Steven's turn. She sat near the fireplace and was soon joined by Peridot who clung to her side, staring out at the snow.

"You're certain that the snow was safe?"

"Of course!"

"But, I heard Steven emit a noise of displeasure while he was out there with you. Surely the snow became dangerous-"

"Oh! No, that was because I stuck snow down his shirt," Connie laughed.

Peridot quirked an eyebrow.

"Why on earth would you do that?" She asked. "The snow is so cold and wet! It had to be uncomfortable!"

Connie blushed.

"Sometimes, humans like to tease each other if they like them ..." She started.

Peridot looked to Amethyst who was busy switching her mug of hot cocoa (and motor oil) with Pearl's mug of tea. It was a bit of a ritual, Amethyst doing something to irritate the taller gem just to toy with her. She had done similar to Peridot on occasion.

She was starting to understand now.

"So ... You feel for Steven in the same way that I feel about Pearl and Amethyst."

Connie blushed deeper. She was about to answer when Steven came out wearing a set of yellow pajamas. His hair was still wet, clinging to the sides of his face.

She smiled at him.

Yes, she did feel that way about him.

He looked at her and grinned before coming over to sit next to her at the fireplace. Lapis handed Steven a mug of cocoa and returned to sit next to Garnet who was seemingly staring at them. She longed for something like this again. She had it once, many millenia ago. She had seen what became of it, however, and she wondered if she would ever have it again. There had to be a glimmer of hope. She wondered if she even remembered her.

"Is everything going to be alright?" She found herself asking the fusion.

Garnet's face fell for moment. She was silent for what felt like an eternity. She bit her lip and then returned her attention to the ocean gem that sat next to her.

"There are millions of possibilities," she began, "but ... there's a chance."

Lapis smiled, sadly. She watched as Steven and Connie popped marshmallows into their mouths, giggling and reminiscing.

It was late before Connie and Steven had to head to bed. Pearl had made a spot on the couch for Connie at the insistence of Priyanka from the last time the two had a sleepover. Pearl knew that they wouldn't do anything, but she still honored her wishes. She wished the two teens goodnight and retreated to her room with Amethyst and Peridot (who insisted she needed to study the pair that night for research on human behavior) in tow. Lapis had gone to the roof to enjoy the snow and Garnet had retreated to the burning room where she could observe and ponder.

Steven had started to fall asleep when he felt a weight on the bed. He froze, not sure what was going on. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Connie sitting at the end of his bed, staring out the window.

She looked at him and smiled shyly before returning her attention out the window.

Maybe, in the future, he would gently grab her hand and intertwine his fingers with hers.

Maybe, in the future, they would rest their heads on each other's shoulders, enjoying the closeness and intimacy.

Maybe, in the future, he would tell her.

Right now, they were both content to just sit and watch the snow like they had so many years ago during their first winter.


	2. The Teachers' Lounge (Part 1)

A/N: This one is the start of a two-parter (I'll be posting the second part today as well).

An interlude between Connie's 6th grade, 5th grade, and gym teachers.

I love the idea of Connie's teachers noticing a change in her since she met Steven. This one bounced around in my brain a lot.

Thank you for the views, favorites, and review!

Feel free to leave feedback!

-FourFaces

"So, you have the Mahaswaren kid this year?"

Mrs. Wilson sat down across from Ms. Sessions with her TV dinner. The teacher's lounge was empty, most of the Middle School teachers heating up their lunches and the Elementary teachers popping ibuprofen before coming to the lunch room.

Ms. Sessions had just transferred over to Charm City Prep and had just started learning all of the students' names. Connie, however, was unmistakable. Ms. Sessions couldn't choose favorites, of course, but Connie secretly was hers. She always greeted her in the morning with a cheerful smile and was the most studious and well behaved of her children.

"Yeah, she's a pretty good kid," Ms. Sessions confirmed to the veteran teacher.

"She's pretty quiet though. I'm sure it's been hard on her, moving all the time. I was surprised to see that she was enrolled this year again. You need to watch out for her," Mrs. Wilson smiled, stirring the mircrowaved attempt at pasta.

"Why?"

"Last year, we had a big bullying issue. She was picked on by the other girls a lot for not speaking to anyone durng recess and always reading. The boys got in on it too. It got worse after her mother was called in. Watch for her too. If she thinks something is wrong with Connie, she will not let up with her calls to you, the principal. and the head of the district."

"Wow .. that's not at all what I've been experiencing this year," Ms. Sessions gasped. "I mean, she is still quiet, but she's really seeming to open up more."

"Is this Mahaswaren we're talking about?" A burly voice laughed. The two teachers turned to see the school coach, Mr. Jacobsen, walk in.

"Yeah, I was just telling her about last year," Mrs. Wilson smiled.

"Ah yeah. She had a rough year last year. Seems much better this year though. In fact, she climbed the rope today in record time! Last year, she could barely make it halfway up before the taunting got to her. She's really seeming to improve and her self confidence seems to have really skyrocketed. Has her mom enrolled her in any other classes after school? Like karate or something?"Mr. Jacobsen asked.

"I'm not sure. I could ask -"

"Wait. Are we talking about the same Connie Maheswaren? The straight A, always bullied, timid Connie?" Wilson gasped.

"I'm pretty sure there isn't another one in the school," Jacobsen joked.

"How on earth ..."

"Well, she has been talking a lot more in class, like during the free periods. Still mostly with me, but sometimes to other students. She talks a lot about this friend of hers."

"Wait. Connie has a friend?!" Mrs. Wilson had heard everything now. "Is this an alien that's replaced Connie?"

The other two teachers laughed.

"No, but she does talk about him a lot. Some of the other students have teased her on occasion since he doesn't go to the school."

"So he's made up, then?"

"I don't think Connie would make up a friend," Ms. Sessions chided. "She did ask about a visitor's pass for him in a couple weeks though. She said he's homeschooled but wants to see what the school is like. I sent her home with a permission slip for his parents to sign."

She didn't mention Connie's trepidation at the request. She also didn't mention that Connie was unsure of which parent needed to sign, stating that her friend had a "very unconventional family".

"So, we'll get to meet this kid she's been takling about?" Mr. Jacobsen laughed. "Finally! You know, she actually told off Kyle during gym class. He was making her uncomfortable and she finally told him to leave her alone. She started talking about this boy that she was friends with outside of school and that he would be mad if he knew what Kyle was saying to her. This will be interesting if he actually shows up."

It certainly will be _, Ms. Sessions thought._

"What's his name, anyway?" Mrs. Wilson asked.

"I think it was Steven. Steven Universe."

"There's no way that's his real last name." Mrs. Wilson laughed.

The bell rang and the teachers left for their respective classes. Ms. Sessions was careful to pay attention to Connie during the next few classes. She couldn't imagine that Mrs. Wilson was talking about the same girl. Connie was so much more confident than what Mrs. Wilson implied.

Maybe she would understand after meeting this Steven kid.


	3. The Teachers' Lounge Part 2

The thrilling conclusion to the Teachers' Lounge two parter!

I'm ridiculously excited about Steven bomb 4 (and hopeful about the Connverse possibilities).

If you would like to watch a writing stream, follow me on tumblr at auratusuniverse. I post links to my streams there. I'll be working on the next chapter of "Where Do We Go From Here" next as well as the final chapter of Clouds.

Feel free to leave a review!

-FourFaces

"So ... That happened."

"...Yeah ..."

The window into the teacher's lounge was still covered in plastic. It was the least damaged part of the school, however, and so some classes had to be held in here.

They had to keep teaching. They hadn't built in enough snow days for this.

Not that this really equated to a snow day.

The other schools were too full to accept other students right now anyway.

Ms. Sessions was poking at her TV dinner while Mrs. Wilson and Coach Jacobsen were working on their coffee.

"So ... Did Evans have a good time with him in History class at least?"

"No ... I mean, I did hear her excited shriek from down the hall, but I think she got disillusioned. She wants someone else to teach the "Ancient Wars" section now. I'm not sure if the Universe boy led to that or if ... No, it was probably that thing," Ms. Sessions sighed. Miss Evans was an ancient history buff and had article after article about speculation on the Gem Wars and the artifacts from the battles. Seeing what the Universe boy called a "corrupt gem" probably shattered some of her ideas.

Jacobsen sighed and took a sip of coffee.

The three sat in silence again.

"So ... I guess the metal detectors didn't pick up the sword when it came in?" Mrs. Wilson asked.

"No ... The Lion brought it in for her. The metal detectors were broken by the time that happened," Jacobsen replied. "He showed up about five minutes after that creature attacked."

"At least that ... thing didn't seem to go after any students," Mrs. Wilson breathed.

"Oh no. It did. Connie."

"... Yeah ..."

The three teachers sat in silence.

"You have to admit, she looked pretty cool though."

"I wonder who taught her that."

"I'm calling it. Priyanka has her in some sort of class."

"Sword fighting though? I'm not aware of anyone who teaches sword fighting in Charm City," Ms. Session stated.

"It was probably the Universe boy."

"What is he anyway?"

The three teachers turned to see Miss Evans standing in the doorway.

"Connie said he was a half gem, but how does that even work? From what the history books talked about, they were made of light ... He seemed pretty human though."

"Mr. Petersen might have an explanaton. Did he get to see any of this?"

"No. He had a sub."

"Poor guy. He would have had a field day with this one. Probably would have tried to study the gem that came from that creature."

Miss Evans sat down on the only vacant seat and sighed.

"So, what do we do now? I mean, we just got attacked by something out of our history books and saved by ... something out of our history books. How are we explaining this to our students?"

"I don't know ... but I think we need to keep an eye on Connie as well."

"Because the thing attacked her first?"

"No. I just worry that the other students are going to make life awful for her because of already taunted her for being different last year. Now she really is different -" Mrs. Wilson started.

"You met Stevonnie, didn't you," Ms. Sessions started.

"Met them? I was there when they formed!" Mrs. Wilson exclaimed.

When Ms. Sessions had her math students huddled in the back of the class, she had seen a bright light outside the door and then a tall, gorgeous human fighting with the monster, wielding the sword and shield that Connie and Steven had been using.

It wasn't until after the fight, when the person came to the classroom to see if everyone was alright, that she noticed the gem embedded in the person's belly button.

After the two had come apart, there was a lot of questioning, strange explanations, and Mrs. Wilson running into the room, frazzled and in disbelief.

"So, did they dance like Steven said?"

"No! They just spun into each other, turned into light, and then I was standing there looking at this 6 foot tall former student! I don't even know how that was possible, but it happened!"

"Petersen is going to be so sad that he was sick."

"I'm just glad that Connie was kept home. The students keep murmuring about it in the halls and I'm sure it would be worse if she was here."

"Hopefully Principal Graehme will tell us what to say to the kids. There has to be a tactful way to explain everything-"

A loud buzzing came over the intercom. The bell for the second half of the day didn't sound the same after the attack.

The teachers packed up their lunches and cleaned up so that the music class could use the room next. Ms. Sessions was the last out. She sighed and walked back to her classroom.

They would be more careful about visitor passes next year.


	4. Fanfiction

A/N: This one was sitting on my tumblr since Log Date and I just remembered that I never posted it.

So, Spoilers for Log Date/Steven Bomb 4. xD

Thank you for the reviews and follows! They mean a lot! I might do a follow-up to the teacher series, but it probably won't be very fluffy.

Feel free to leave a review (and vote on the poll on my profile!)

-FourFaces

"So … none of these stories actually took place in the show?"

"Nope! They're just made by the fans because they either wanted to see something different that what happened, or they just wanted to write an episode from their own perspective or something!" Connie smiled as Peridot continued to scroll down the page.

"Interesting …" the green gem began. "And you say that there is fan fiction of every show on here?"

"Well, there's fics for all sorts of things," Connie blushed. "What were you looking for?"

Peridot grinned.

It took Steven several weeks to truly forgive Connie for letting Peridot see the other episodes of Camp Pining Hearts. It was even longer before he forgave her for introducing her to the fandom, fan fiction and shipping. Connie had watched a few episodes with Peridot, happy to have yet another thing to bond with the green gem over. She was not aware of the all consuming obsession that this show had become for Peridot.

"I can't believe these clods!" Peridot began, pacing in Steven's bedroom. She had come in and shaken him awake to let him know of the argument she had just gotten into. "They think that just because Percy saved Paulette in the season finale that he desires her over Pierre! They even claimed that Pierre had a girlfriend, but …"

Steven discreetly pulled out his cell phone and began to text.

 _ **She's up here again, Connie.**_

He waited for a moment, watching as Peridot continued stomping around the bedroom. The phone buzzed and Steven looked down, smiling briefly at the notification that Connie (his "Strawberry") had responded

 _ **Strawberry: Steven, it's 2 in the morning.**_

 _ **She just came upstairs and woke me up with her fan theories,**_ He replied

 _ **Strawberry: Oh.**_

 _ **This is your fault you know.**_

 _ **Strawberry: She was curious! And I didn't know she had a previous obsession with this show!**_

Steven sighed, watching as Peridot leaped from the loft, disappearing for a moment before returning with a box of video tapes, still rambling as she placed the first tape in he VCR.

"I have taken the liberty of splicing and compiling these tapes to show evidence for the Percy and Pierre ship - or Pierrcy, if you will …"

Steven flopped back on his bed as he heard Peridot speak over her evidence, praying that she would finish with this soon.

The next morning, Connie came over with her laptop.

"Peridot, I think you should maybe write some of your feelings out. Maybe try writing one of those fan fictions I told you about," Connie smiled, setting her up with the laptop. You can even put your stories online!"

Peridot stared, mystified at the laptop. A word processor was open. Millions of possibilities were now opened to her.

Connie smiled as she watched the gem type at the computer. She walked upstairs and sat next to Steven, a shy smile on her face.

"I think that will keep her occupied for a while. Want to watch some Under the Knife?" Connie smiled.

Steven smiled and changed the channel, settling back to watch Under the Knife with Connie.

It had been about a week of relative peace, not a word coming from Peridot as she stayed at the coffee table, engrossed in typing. Pearl occasionally would try to shake Peridot out of it, only to be motioned away by the small green gem. Steven was able to spend more time with Connie, watching TV or introducing her to new video games. He was even able to leave the house with her and spend time on the beach, just the two of them.

Steven was contentedly sleeping when he was awakened by a weight on the foot of his bed. He rolled over and looked to see Peridot with a stack of paper.

"Steven! I'm so glad you're awake! I have finished my 'fan fiction' and I think you will enjoy it."

"Ungh … Peridot, it's past midnight. I really need to sleep. I can't read it right now."

"Oh, don't worry! I was going to read it to you!" Peridot exclaimed.

 _Oh no …_


End file.
